The big winner in yesterday’s American racing was Medaglia D’oro. He sired the winner of the Grade Three Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct and the elevated by DQ winner of the Grade Two San Felipe at Santa Anita. A third major race on the road to the Kentucky Derby was won by a son of Distorted Humor. Medaglia D’oro and Distorted Humor are great sires, both in real life and in the game. If you can afford to use them do it, they are great and will give you an excellent chance at getting a nice horse. But this column isn’t about telling you about the top sires. We are looking for value and there were some exceptional sires represented around the world that we can look to.

We’ll start in France, a region mentioned previously as being lucrative for local bred races. In 2011 a young son of Pivotal retired to Haras de Bonneval for a fee of 7,000 Euros. His name was Siyouni and he was bred and owned by HH The Aga Khan. Siyouni won a major group one as a two year old in France and at three he was group one placed. Siyouni’s first crop came out of the gate strong. His first foals hit the racetrack as two year olds in 2014 and included 2014 graded winners Ervedya, Bourree and Souvenier Delondres. That made him the leading first crop sire in France and saw his fee for 2015 jump to 20,000 Euros. Ervedya had a smashing three year old season, winning the classic Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and two other important group one mile races. Siyoushake came from that initial crop as well and was a multiple group three winner and group one placed runner. A similar trajectory was taken by Finsbury Square who did well racing as an older horse.

Siyouni’s initial crops continued to pay dividends. His fee continued to rise and in 2018 he stands for $75,000 Euros, making him the highest priced sire in France. Much like Midnight Lute last week we see that 2015 was an important year for Siyouni. Remember his first two year olds hit the track and created buzz in 2014 and his fee was increased due to the increased interest in him. The foals bred in 2015 will start racing this year and they could be very big hits. This weekend Siyouni’s son Aylmerton won the Group Two Todman Stakes at Randwick in Australia. Aylmerton was conceived in France but bred to fit the Southern Hemisphere season. This was his second victory in as many starts. He was 17/1 in the race but is now among the buzz horses for Australia’s premier two year old race the Golden Slipper. Siyouni is generally available for under 300 bps/credits. He has produced two grade one winners and eight other graded winners in the game so far. Siyouni was given an upgrade for the 2015 sim breeding season. He looks like a sire who can get you a good open horse but that FR-tag gives his foals extra value.

Like Siyouni, Not A Single Doubt in Australia was given an announced upgrade recently (for the 2017 season in this case). This weekend he was represented by Not A Single Cent in a group two and Sugar Bella in a group three. Both were winning at the group level for the first time, Not A Single Cent is a two year old colt and Sugar Bella a four year old filly. In February four year old filly Faraway Town won the Group Three Triscay Stakes and in doing so became Not A Single Doubt’s 50th stakes winner. Not A Single Doubt has sired 8 group one winners to this point. Only two of those have scored major victories beyond a mile, Single Gaze who has won up to 2200 meters (about a mile and five sixteenths). She was also second in the 2400 meter Caulfield Cup (about a mile and a half). Scales of Justice, a group one winner at 1600 meters (about a mile) also won a group three at 2000 meters (mile and one quarter).

Not A Single Doubt is a son of Redoute’s Choice. He was only a listed winner on the race track but he was known as a very speedy horse, setting a track record at 1000 meters (5f) of 56.21 seconds as a two year old. He comes from a family of precocious runners. His dam Singles Bar was a quick two year old but only started four times. Not A Single Doubt was her best foal but her daughter Natural is My Name was a listed winner who produced Champion 2yo Zizou. Singles Bar was a half sister to Champion 3yo Sprinter Snippets and they are from the family of Champion 2yo Filly Forensics.

In spite of all the speed in Not A Single Doubt’s pedigree and produce record he has done reasonably well with routers in the game. He currently has only two graded winners. His five year old son Have New Doubts won a grade two at nine furlongs last season with a 120 speed. His three year old daughter A Single Candy won a six furlong grade one last season. Not A Single Doubt is a good lesson in watching the upgrade list. He currently has 307 runners in the game. 128 of those were bred in 2017 and 2018. Prior to 2017 he had produced eight stakes winners. His 2017 crop alone produced eight stakes winners. His price obviously increased from bargain basement in 2016 to mid-range now. As of this writing he is available for less than 500 credits and 300 bps.